The Rise of Artisanal Roasting in India: Bringing Specialty Coffee into the Mainstream
By Reshil Charles
Whipped, a bakery in Delhi, India, is not known for its coffee. Over the years, the establishment earned a household name for its cheesecakes, baked goods and gelato. Residents and offices around the area order cakes on a whim, while others stroll in to order an assortment of goods or indulge on the spot. When Whipped moved up the road to a new location, a coffee section was added in collaboration with a Delhi-based coffee roaster who brought in beans from plantations in the south. The staff was trained to pull espresso shots and steam milk, along with their existing skills of slicing cakes and scooping gelato. Whipped is now a place where people stay longer mingling over in-house blends that change periodically, adding an element to the bakery that owner Alcie Arora never imagined creating when he began in 2009.
“Until last year, we had a push-button coffee machine in a corner and it was simply an add-on for anyone who wanted a cup, or to add in hot chocolate,” says Arora. “We are surrounded by artisanal coffee shops that have come up in the last few years and are serving a range of freshly brewed coffee, along with croissants and cookies. Our customers had also started asking questions about coffee that surprised us. While we are primarily a dessert boutique, we could not ignore this.” For a bakery to incorporate coffee into its remodel indicates the evolution taking place in the Indian coffee scene. More so, the fact that an aspiring coffee connoisseur like me noticed the bakery was pricing its Americano at double that of an espresso shot (and promptly pointed it out) is a testament to how consumers are also evolving in our basic knowledge of the coffee industry.
In recent years, artisanal coffee shops, roasteries and homegrown brands selling beans to retail outlets and consumers have emerged in large numbers across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Chandigarh, Pune and other parts of India where coffee has always been second to tea. Restaurants and cafes not previously focused on coffee now source from various brands to ensure a freshly brewed cup is always available. Even some convenience stores and salons brew a pleasant surprise while the customer shops or gets a pedicure.
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